Blue and Gold
by TrueLove'sMiss
Summary: Their times spent together was precious. Rumpel and Belle's romance over six months in Storybrooke.
1. June

AN:Ok, still working on Day by Day, but I can't get this plot out of my head. A series focusing on the first six months that Belle is released. All their firsts as a couple: kiss, date, nightmare, fight, and the proposal. I need one more prompt for month six. Either that or I need one for month 5 and the proposal will be in chapter 6. Let me know some ideas!

Thanks Oldromanticem for betaing! You really inspire me to keep writing, thanks for your great advice and edits!

June

It had been one month. One, wonderful, clear headed, sunshine- and fresh-air-filled months, and she was tired of waiting for him to make up his mind about their future.

When she had been released from the hospital, memories intact after the sedatives wore off, she had run straight into his arms. Their past forgotten the second she'd seen the relief in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." That blasted statement over and over again cried into her hair between dry sobs. He held her until the blond sheriff- Emma was her name- had awkwardly cleared her throat and momentarily gained their attention.

Quick decisions about where to keep her until the town psychiatrist could examine her were made over her head, and as much as she wanted to declare that no one decided her life but her, she was too grateful to be back in the one place she ever truly felt accepted.

Her fears of his continuing refusal of her, because of her stupidity back at the Dark Castle left her mind as he said, "She'll be staying with me." Despite the sheriff's argument, her love held his ground and in the end, brought his girl home with him.

They didn't say much that night as he showed her around the beautiful home, his arm still wrapped around her like a safety net. He finally let go, albeit reluctantly when he showered her to her room, down the hall from his. Ever the gentleman, he parted company with a simple caress of her cheek, staring as if afraid he might forget what she looked like.

Each day for a week, they would spend time together, him teaching her the small details of this world she would need to fit into society. They would make short excusions to the diner or the library even his shop a few times, and every night, he would leave her at her bedroom door. Her cheek warm from the trail of his hand, and her lips untouched.

After nearly a month of acclimating, her curiosity overcame her need for propriety, so during a breakfast of toast and eggs, she interrupted his reading of the paper with a question.

"Will you still lose your powers?"

He looked up at her, trying to discern her meaning behind the question. Swallowing a bite of eggs, he replied, "What do you mean, love?" His attention fully on the beautiful girl, sitting in her flannel PJs across from him.

"Kissing me," she looked down at the half-eaten slice of bread on her plate. "Will it cause you to lose your powers, even though you're human here?"

She looked up, meeting his eye, his expression torn between regret and longing. Belle immediately regretted her question, and not waiting for an answer, began to gather up the morning dishes, taking them to the kitchen. Placing the pile in the sink, she tried to swallow her disappointment as she ran hot water to do the dishes, her hand grasping the side of the sink. A hand reached around her and turned the water off, before turning her around to face its owner. With her back to the sink, and Mr. Gold's arms on either side of her, Belle had no choice but to greet his gaze with one of her own.

"Why do you ask?" he asked, the same confusion painted on his face as when he had asked her why she returned.

"Because, you hadn't… kissed me, that is," she breathed, her face inches from his. He searched her eyes, before lowering his gaze to her mouth, as slowly as she had all those years ago, he met her lips in a tentative kiss. Belle's eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his body so close to hers, and his mouth so carefully on hers. He pulled back slightly, no physical change made to the man the town feared.

"Kiss me again," Belle demanded with the same enthusiasm she'd had back at the Dark Castle. Then she was trying to save him, but now she wanted him and only him.

Their second kiss, third, technically, lost the strange innocence of the prior ones as they both met in desperation, trying to grasp the reality that they were both alive and well and in each other's arms.

Belle wrapped her arms around Gold's neck, her hands tangling in his hair, while Gold used the sink to support himself in lieu of his cane, and his other arm wrapped her and pulled her to him as tightly as he could.

The heated exchange was brought to an abrupt halt when the door bell rang through the house. Belle looked at the clock on the stove before gasping and pushing her way around Gold.

"I forgot my interview," she exclaimed hurrying toward the staircase. She called behind her. "Will you let Emma in, please."

Gold's mind finally caught up with him at the sound of her bedroom door shutting with finality. He grimaced from the realization that she wasn't going to come back, at least not this morning, and resigned himself to answering the impatient sheriff, who had once again sent the door bell blaring through his home.

"Coming, Ms. Swan," he said, opening the door a less than friendly look on his face. "Please, come in."

Emma looked at him carefully, his face was flushed and he was a bit out of breath. "Work out this morning?" she asked, slipping into the house, waiting to escort young Ms. Rebecca French to the library to get a job.

"Something like that," he muttered, turning at the sound of a freshly-changed Belle skipping down the stairs, her sun dress swaying around her knees. She met the uncomfortable pair and reached around Emma for her cardigan on the coat rack.

"Ready?" she asked, her eyes shining and an unstoppable grin passing over her face.

"Ready if you are," Emma exited the house, glad to be away from the incorrigible man and headed down the walk to her waiting car, turning just in time to see an over exuberant Belle pull away from a blushing Mr. Gold, having given him one last chaste kiss.

Emma froze, before shaking her head and pretending she didn't just see the meanest man in town watch the kindest girl in town flounce to the car as if she were the source of air and he was a breathless man. She pretended not to see the way Belle looked back at him as though he were the most important thing in the world. Starting the car, she gave one last glance at the lovestruck two and muttered under her breath, "Well, okay, then…"


	2. July

AN: Alright month two is out! Woohoo! By the way, if you readers are looking for a way to get involved in this story, drop a review or a PM with suggestions. I'd love to be prompted for one shots, and I still need one more first (Not gonna do a lemon sorry) for our favorite couple. Just let me know your thoughts.

In a harmless plug, I AM NOW ACCEPTING BETA REQUESTS! Really good at plot and characterization, and seeing other peoples grammatical errors (not so hot on my own).

Thanks to my amazing beta who has added a ton of commas to my stories, and continues to encourage me even when I want to throw away an entire chapter! Thanks Oldromanticem! You rock!

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time, its characters or affiliates.

July

Life living under a curse should have been horrid. Granted, his influence with the queen had made his experience rather enjoyable, still, he was sure that being this happy must mean the curse was broken. A month had passed since the exchange in the kitchen, and although there was no defining term for their interactions, the town knew there was more here than a charity case.

More and more often, they would spend their days together, stealing glances and brushing hands. Their nights were spent reading together, much like in the Dark Castle. Every night ended with a bid farewell and true love's kiss shared. Even with all these advances in their relationship, he was still unsure how to address her in the public eyes. Not that it was any of their business, but the uneasy murmurs about them were stating to affect their outings.

People refused to meet his eye, and whispers came around about the old man taking advantage of an innocent girl. Today, after a rather rough dealing with one of his clients regarding repayment of a loan, Gold walked into his home, a troubled expression on his face. His clients words rang in his ears, "I bet you're lenient to those who rent from your bedroom."

Honestly, the remark hadn't made much sense, but it had resulted in a swift whack from his cane to the man's ribs before he moved the due date up a week. Though they never slept in the same room, and never touched in public, Belle was still seen as nothing more than Gold's personal mistress. He decided to meet this rumor head on. The secrecy, he decided, was what caused the accusations. There would always be murmurs, but being in a legitimate relationship would handle the harshest of them.

He glanced around his home, immaculate since his house guest had moved in, and found himself nervously trying to straighten miscellaneous items around the house. He heaved a sigh of relief when the doorbell rang, glancing at the ornate grandfather clock by the stairway. It would be another half-hour until Belle got done at the library at four, and he had until then to prepare everything. Gold opened the door to a nervous young boy, whose arms were filled with brown bags, and a bouquet of long stemmed roses, difficult to acquire during the harsh month of July, but easy enough for him.

"Ch… changed your order today, Mr. Gold. Special night?" the boy asked as he followed the wealthy businessman back to the kitchen and set the bags down. Not receiving an answer he held out the flowers and tired not to let his voice break. "Good luck, sir."

Gold took the flowers before handing the boy some folded bills. "Thank you," he replied to the youth. Flabbergasted, he mumbled a "you're welcome," before hurrying out of the home. Gold turned back to his acquisitions, swallowed his fear and began his task.

Belle arrived home to the smell of something on fire. Pausing by the door, she listened to the sounds of pans smashing together and a few choice expletives being grumbled in the kitchen. With a small smile, she hurried towards the commotion and arrived in time to hear the smoke alarm go off.

"Son of a-" Belle cleared her throat before her love could finish his outburst and turned to open a window. Using her arms to waft some of the smoke out of the room, Belle once again cleared her throat in an attempt to stifle her laughter.

"You weren't supposed to be here yet," Gold muttered, his expression carefully hidden beneath his business man persona.

"It's nearly 4:30, Rum- I got off later than usual."

Her fear of asphyxiation quenched, Belle turned to Gold, who was currently scraping pasta out of a pan and into the trash bin. "You made dinner?" she said, a soft look taking over her demeanor as she gazed lovingly towards the man that the entire town feared.

As Rumpelstiltskin, the lord of the Dark Castle, his involvements in cooking were few and far between after one too many magic-related fiascoes. Then, he resigned himself to a life of cold meat, bread and cheese, much like when he had been a poor wool merchant. It was always a treat when his deals brought him to a royal banquet.

As the man, Mr. Reymis Gold, he ate out- a lot. He could manage simple tasks such as sandwiches, heating canned soups and the like, and had a rather good record with pasta, until today.

"_Of course this would happen,"_ he thought throwing away the last bit of mush that was their destroyed dinner. His hands were stilled by small arms wrapping around his waist.

"Why did you make dinner? I could have done it," Belle murmured against his back. Settings the pan on the counter, Gold turned to her before returning the embrace.

"Well, you cooking wouldn't be very romantic," he said looking into her eyes. Belle's mouth turned up slightly before meeting his.

"You know what would be more romantic?" Belle asked smiling at his questioning expression. "Going for a drive while the house airs out. While I appreciate the gesture, I think asphyxiation is not the route we want to go."

Gold smiled before leading her toward the back door, checking behind him to be sure the stove had been turned off and the offensive dishes no longer flammable. They walked outside, and like every time she felt the sun, Belle stopped and closed her eyes, letting her skin soak it in. Even after two months having been released her skin still shown pale. They went down the stairs, Belle cautious not to hurt her love's pride in assisting him, and walked to the small building behind their home.

After punching in the code in the pad beside it, a heavy wooden door rose giving light to the beautiful black car in the middle of the immaculate room. Gold looked on with pride at the smooth design of the Jaguar, knowing full well it's was the single most expensive vehicle in the town of Storybrooke.

Flicking on the overhead florescent light, Gold led Belle toward the passenger door, intending to be a gentleman and open it for her.

"What's under there?" Belle asked pulling away from him and walking toward the large white sheet in the corner. Gold froze somewhere between embarrassment and frustration.

"That, dear, is called a mid-life crisis."

Belle pulled the sheet off to display a beautiful maroon accented motorcycle. It looked to hold two people comfortably, but not so large as to attract unwanted attention.

"Uh… a… um- motorcycle Rum?" Belle held her hand against her mouth trying not to laugh at the image. Mortification having won over irritation, Gold said, "Yes dear. Like I said, it was a bit of a crisis, not something I would usually do."

His mind wandered back to that time nearly thirty years ago when he had woken up in a strange world, fully conscious of who he truly was. He remembered his time spent cursing the queen, who had held her word of a better life for him, but had returned the one thing he loathed the most.

The pain had come back to his leg with a vengeance, and reminded him once more of his failure in life, his inability to be a whole man. Gold's anger towards the queen grew when he realized that, as he had told the fair Snow White and her bumbling fool husband, the curse wouldn't end for at least twenty-eight years. He had three decades ahead of him to hobble around the town.

It was only one month into their new world that, one drunken night, Gold had bought the bike off a vendor online. He had hoped to regain some of his wounded pride back by being able to ride it even with his disability- not to mention it would be the only chance to move faster than his knee now allowed.

He only road near the edge of town, never within sight as to protect his reputation, and only for a little while, stopping at the beach near the piers. Gold had the bike for a few weeks before he realized how childish he was being and covering up his mistake.

"Can we go for a ride?" Belle asked, breaking the awkward silence that had taken form. Gold looked from her to the bike and back again.

"No." He turned and opened the passenger door of the Jaguar, and motioned for her to get in.

"Oh, come on!" Rather than taking his offered hand, Belle took hold of his arm and tugged him toward the bike. "Please, Rum. Just once."

"No."

"Please…"

"That's not going to change my mind."

Belle stared at him, a look of longing on her face, before reaching up to meet his lips. The kiss caught him off guard, before he began to respond. This wasn't like their innocent good night kisses, but rather one that invoked a passion in him that he hadn't felt in years. His hands ran along her sides, coming to a rest on her hips and bringing her as close to him as possible. The feel of her mouth against his, her nibbling on his bottom lip, weakened his train of though. Belle pulled back, lips swollen from the exchange and sighed, "Please, Rumpelstiltskin." She drew him in for one final kiss, breaking his resolve.

"That won't always work, love," he murmured, trying to pull her back. Belle smirked before slipping from his grasp towards the bike. With a sigh of resignation, Gold followed his beauty, setting his cane to the side to mount the vehicle and push it out towards the driveway.

He closed his eyes, trying to recall how to start the engine, and had just turned the key when Belle emerged with the only helmet he owned.

"I never expected passengers," he said without looking at the girl, as he continued to mess with the clutch and gears. "You're going to wear it, though."

Belle opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it at the look of resolution on his face. "If you want to ride, you are going to be safe, now put the helmet on."

Rolling her eyes, Belle placed the heavy contraption on her head, and fiddled with the clasp before giving up and approaching the bike, which now roared with life. Gold turned and adjusted the clasp before he gestured for her to get on. Belle climbed up, her legs and body against his and her arms firmly around his middle.

"Let's get this over with," he mumbled under his breath and carefully pulled out of their driveway and onto the street.

Wind rushed past the couple as they drove along the back roads of the town, not a soul in sight. Belle looked on in wonder as trees sped by at an alarming rate on the side of the road before giving way to a beautiful view of the ocean.

The couple rode up along the side of the beach before Gold pulled off and headed toward the water. He stopped several yards away on a paved section and motioned for Belle to get off. Turning the bike off, Gold retrieved his cane from the side of the bike and turned to lead Belle down to the beach.

The warmth of the summer sun shown down on them as they sat on the beach only inches from the waves rolling up. They sat in a comfortable silence listening to the sounds of the sea, before Belle turned to her love, a grin on her face.

"So, why did you want to make me dinner?" She asked, leaning her head against Gold's shoulder looking up at him. He lifted an arm to wrap around her shoulder, bringing her into him and looked away shyly.

"It's been awhile since I've done this," he said. "Last time it was called courting, and I wasn't very good at it then either."

Belle pulled away from him to meet his eyes a grin breaking across her face. "Mr. Gold, are you asking me out?"

Unsure of where she had heard that colloquialism, though he wouldn't doubt Ruby having introduced that concept to her, he nodded slightly.

"Well, it's about time," Belle replied, laughing and wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly. "I was running out of excuses to give Ruby for blind dates. Now I'll tell her my boyfriend…" her nose wrinkled at the strange words. "That you'll object." She ran a hand around to caress his face. "Besides, I can't wait to see Emma's reaction to this."

AN: So… the motorcycle is a bit OOC, but when I think of Gold, I couldn't help thinking of House whose embarrassment and anger over his disability causes him to over compensate in other areas, and it was one of those plot bunnies that just wouldn't leave. Anyways my daddy has the a motorcycle almost identical to this (he doesn't have a limp), and I love riding on it with him so I thought it would be fun to write about the experience of the world rushing by. As always, any and all reviews help writers become better. Criticism is welcome, just tell me what you guys are thinking and I'll work with it.


	3. August

Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time belongs to ABC and if they kill off Gold in the next episode I will find them and write them a strongly worded letter.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta who has continued to follow my story! Thanks Oldromanticem! Your all kinds of amazing.

AN: Here is chapter three! It's not necessarily inspired by a first time, unless you count first jealous reaction, or shopping spree… regardless, I was trying on bathing suits for the beach this summer, and this plot took place. Enjoy!

August

Jealousy is a strange emotion, something that can take a rational person and an innocent situation and warp it into some kind of monstrosity. The day had started off normal enough for Storybrooke's newest couple. Gold had woken up at the sun's rise and set about preparing breakfast for the two, allowing the beautiful bookworm to sleep in for a change. He had to work late last night, collecting from a few strays and came home to find Belle asleep in her room, a book in her hand.

He was finishing up the eggs when shuffling near the staircase caught his attention. Gold looked up to see Belle smiling sleepily, her hair still missed from her sleep.

"Morning, Rum," she said, a yawn taking over her features. Gold smiled at the sight before gesturing toward the table. He scraped the rest of the eggs into a serving bowl and brought it to the kitchen table, smaller than the extravagant one in the dining room.

Belle sat down as he filled their plates and began to prattle on about his day's plans.

"I have to finish collecting today, but I should be done around noon," he said before taking a bite of his breakfast. "You have the day off?"

"Unfortunately. The remodeling has the library closed for at least a few more days," she finished up her piece of toast before continuing.

"It wouldn't be a big deal, but now that I have free time, Ruby is convinced she has to fill it. I'm supposed to meet with her and Ashley this morning at the diner."

Gold finished his breakfast, and together they made quick work of the mess. After bidding each other goodbye, Belle made her way to the diner.

The door hadn't come to a complete close before Ruby pounced, grabbing a hold of Belle's arms and pulling her to the counter, where the blonde princess waited with her daughter.

"Rebecca! Ashley greeted her with a beautiful smile before handing the cooing Alexandra to her. Belle played with the little girl as her mother and the waitress continued their discussion of wedding plans. It was almost noon when Ruby began to fan herself with one of the menus, trying to circulate the stagnant air.

"Ok, it's seriously hot today. Kind of makes me want to go swimming." Ruby jumped from her stool, dropping the menu and turned her attention to the two girls, grabbing Ashley's hands in her own.

"That's it!"

Belle glanced up from the infant in her arms to the ecstatic brunette.

"What's 'it', Ruby?" She asked, feeling very much her ten years seniority over the giddy girl.

"Tomorrow! We are gonna beat this heat with a little girl time at the beach!" Ashley gave a doubtful glance towards Belle.

"Oh, come on! We'll even invite Mary Margaret and Emma." Ruby turned to Ashley. "You've got your pre-baby bod back! It's time to flaunt it. And Becca… I don't think anyone's ever seen yours! Unless you and Gold…"

Belle gasped in indignation, her face turning scarlet at Ruby's suggestion.

"Ruby, we'll go, all right? Just stop teasing Rebecca."

Satisfied with her victory, Ruby sat down, once again throwing an apologetic look at Belle. Rolling her eyes, Belle shifted the baby before meeting Ashley's gaze.

"So, have you two…"

"No! And once we do, I assure you, you will not be privy to that information."

"We were just curious. I mean you've been together how long-"

"A month."

"Right, and you live together… its bound to happen sooner or later."

A ringing at the door alerted the three of Gold's arrival. With a sign of relief, Belle handed the now-sleeping infant to her mother before turning to greet her boyfriend. She took hold of his hand an began to lead him out the door when Ruby called out, "Don't forget! Tomorrow at ten! And bring your bathing suit- we'll change when we get there."

Gold raised an eyebrow at the exchange, but said nothing as he was dragged out of the building. Once outside, the couple traveled down the sidewalk in the direction of their home.

"I suppose you have plans tomorrow?"

"Ruby wants to go to the beach," Belle sighed and shook her head in disbelief before stopping suddenly. She looked up at the pawn broker. "Gold, what's a bathing suit?"

"Did you find one yet?" Gold shifted past the racks of clothes, obviously uncomfortable in this particular section. Upon arriving at the quaint store, Belle had perused the selection with uncertainty. Seeing as he had no history in the affairs of women's clothing, outside of being able to procure a dress, Gold had quickly tracked down a sales girl to help. Now he paced in front of the dressing room that his beloved had entered, her arms full of little scraps of clothing that was deemed appropriate swimwear in this world.

"Hey, Melody?" Belle called, her head peaking out of the curtain that separated them while she changed.

"She's preoccupied, dear." Gold said, trying to avert his eyes from the bare shoulder that escaped the protection of the curtain.

"Oh…" Belle bit her lip, her eyes darting from him, to the stand beside him, and back.

"Do you need another size?" he asked, still not fully looking at her. Belle sighed before motioning for him to come to her.

"Actually, I need help clipping this…" she gestured behind her.

"I'll go get-"

"Oh just come here, it's not like you've never seen a woman before."

She turned so that her back was toward him, one hand checking her front for indecency and the other behind her, holding the flimsy straps together.

"Just hook this in, please."

Gold's hands shook, his attention on the strap against her creamy, porcelain skin. He was very caution to not take advantage of his height to glance over her shoulder. Finally, the clasp took, and he pulled away enough for her to turn around and face him.

The top had thick yellow and white stripes that matched the solid yellow shorts she wore. His gaze raked over her, before he realized what he was doing.

"Absolutely not."

Belle's face fell instantly, ignoring how his gaze seemed to continually drift to one area in particular.

"And why not? I really like this one!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Because I said so," Gold tore his eyes away, turning his back to leave. Slim but sure fingers grabbed his hand that rested on his cane before he could turn from her completely.

"I don't think so, Rumpelstiltskin," she whispered, pulling him into her dressing room.

"Now, what do you have against this?" Belle gestured to herself before trying to regain control of the situation. He held her eyes, taking in the set of her mouth, turned down in a frown, and the tilt of her chin which meant she wasn't to be dismissed.

Setting his cane aside, Gold strode the distance to meet Belle chest to chest, his arms on either side of her, taking her chin in his hand. He dipped his head, meeting her lips without hesitation as he ran his hand down her neck, along her collarbone, allowing it to rest on her arm. Gold pulled back, his voice deeper and his accent more pronounced, "I don't have anything against it and neither will any other male on the beach."

"So, this is about your pride?" Belle replied, her expression caught between frustration and the feeling provoked by his hand running up and down her arm.

"It has everything to do with my pride, and I won't allow you to flaunt what is mine to anyone else."

Belle stared at him, her frustration winning to the other emotion.

"What makes you so sure it's yours?" Brown eyes met blue before Gold once again reclaimed her mouth.

"Alright, Belle, I think we found-" The beautiful red head was cut off when Mr. Gold, Storybrooke's most feared citizen, emerged from her clients dressing room, adjusting his tie. He looked over at the simple one piece in her hands before nodding his approval.

"That one, and the one she currently has on as well."

Belle laid out, soaking up the sun, next to the red-bikini-clad Ruby. She shifted her hair to tie it behind her neck. Ruby pushed herself up, moving her glasses off and gasped.

"Is that?"

"Yes."

"Did you?"

"No."

Shaking her head, Ruby turned, allowing her back some light. Leaning back on her arms, Belle tilted her head, lightly touching the slightly red spot on her collar bone.

"But, he is thinking of getting a pool."


	4. September

AN:Ok so here's the thing… Normally I'm not the author that says, "review or no more chapters…" because I write for myself and I already have the last two chapters finished and fully intend on publishing them. However, my phone is synched so I get notifications when someone follows me or my story, and as awesome as that is, the numbers aren't matching up. On that note, let's make a deal. For a deal to be made each much have something the other wants. Now I want reviews… and I want them bad. In exchange, I will extend this to include "December" aka an Epilogue. So far I have over two thousand hits, thirty alerts and only 15 reviews. Move that number to 50 (which means each of you reviews) then we get ourselves an epilogue. Make it higher, and I might write a sequel… (summer is coming up). This is your mission should you so choose. With that having been said, here we go…

Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT. If I did, Rum would have Belle and Bae, and the Charmings would be hit by a bus… well at least David would.

Beta shout out: Thanks to my wonderful beta Oldromanticem who once again fixed all of my horrible punctuation errors, and encouraged me with her kind words! You've been so much fun to work with during this fic!

September

It was going to happen. Every couple went through their baggage at one point in their relationship, so naturally, they would have to confront their skeletons eventually. Rumpelstiltskin knew this; what he didn't know was how many skeletons they had between them.

It was no secret in the small town of Storybrooke that the devious Mr. Reymis Gold had fallen in love with his house guest, and that for some unknown reason, she seemed to shared the sentiment. It was also no secret that the two people vying for power within the town hated each other.

When word of their relationship had reached the mayor, her anger spiked, forming a plan of her own. A few phone calls and a flower shop visit later had Moe French, once again, doing her dirty work.

Rebecca French came home to a man sitting nervously on her love's porch. Confusion evident on her face, she approached the intruder with caution.

"Becca!" The man stood up and reached out to her, before hesitating. "Becca, it's me."

Belle blinked in disbelief, stepping onto the steps, still out of reach of the man, but coming to eye-level with him.

"Papa, what are you doing here?" Belle paused, glancing around the porch for a sign of her house-mate and current boyfriend.

"Becca, I came to see you. I didn't know you…" Moe shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I didn't know you'd gotten back into town."

He looked up to see his little girl, who had grown tremendously in the last few months, struggle with what to say to him. The sight broke his heart.

"Back in town? Papa…" Belle struggled with her emotions, before settling for the hot anger that shot through her at his casual reference. "I never left town."

Belle glared at her father trying to find anything, even a glimpse of confusion to give him some kind of penance. He shrunk back, refusing to meet her eye, confirming her suspicions.

"You knew where I was, didn't you?" The fact left her breathless as if the man himself had reached out and slapped her. Images of childhood memories flashed before her.

The time she had challenged the stable boy to a "fight to the death for the hand of the fair damsel," resulting in her covered head to toe in mud. When she attended her etiquette classes, with a book on politics hidden beneath the table, and lastly, her time spent in the war room, pouring over the maps as her father arranged for her to be auctioned off like livestock in exchange for a bit of land. The final memory to come to mind was of a golden man, who took her away, and when she looked back at her father, instead of grief, she was met with a look of disgust and disappointment. The same she had seen her entire life.

"You were sick, Becca; I was trying to help," his fidgeting continued as his exasperation grew. "I still do-"

"Help me? If you truly cared you wouldn't have left me down there to rot."

His eyes which had held concern before, hardened at his daughter's tone.

"I didn't leave you to rot; you were only in there for a year." _Twenty-eight years,_ her mind supplied. "I want to help you. Please come home."

Belle visibly cringed at the suggestion. "I _am_ home." Having fully recovered from her initial shock of seeing her father after so long, she climbed the steps of the porch and brushed past him.

"You can't be serious, Rebecca," Mo grabbed his daughter's arm. "You can't honestly expect me to let you live here with this… beast."

Despite the severity of the situation, Belle let a smile grace her lips from the memory of the last time her father reference her love, back in the war room where she had been as terrified of the imp as the rest of them.

"Do you have any idea what he's done? He owns the town, and he lords over them like a monster."

She knows this, same as she knew it in their old world, and loved him despite of it.

"He nearly beat me to death over a bloody tea cup!"

This, she did not know. Rumpelstiltskin had always had an air of danger surrounding him, an air of evil- she had said so herself on that cursed road- but to beat her father? She knew what the cup meant and would not put it past him to use some scare tactic to retrieve it, but looking over her father now, she could tell from the desperation in his voice that he was telling the truth. This man who had no qualms about locking her away was truly fearful for her safety.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "He shouldn't have done that, but this is my home, and I suggest you leave it."

Belle entered their home, shutting the door firmly behind her. She hovered in their entrance, fighting back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Rumpelstiltskin sauntered up the sidewalk, cane supporting his weaker leg. The last few months had been wonderful to say the least. He had found the love of his life, whom he had formally thought to be dead and gone. Not only was she alive, but she forgave him and welcomed him back into her arms. They were in love, a thought he would have scoffed at before.

"Twoo wuv" didn't exist in his evil and dark world, and yet she did. Bright, and beautiful, and pure and perfect. It was these thoughts that comforted him as he arrived home to find the lights off and the curtains drawn.

"Rebecca?" He called her false name into the empty foryer. Taking off his coat, he grabbed the pistol hidden in the table near him. "Love?"

"In here." With a sign of relief, he dropped his weapon back into the drawer. He stopped short at the sight of her sitting on the couch, face blank and hands in her lap.

"Belle, what's wrong?" Rum rushed to the beautiful princess as fast as his cane would allow. Dazed and red-rimmed eyes glanced up at him as he sat beside her.

"You put my father in the hospital," She said. It wasn't a question, yet not quite an accusation either.

His face dropped, and he took a ragged breath.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I've told you before; I wasn't a good person."

Belle withdrew her hands to bring his eyes to meet her own.

"I think it's time for you to elaborate on that."

And so he did. For the first time in his life, he told someone else everything. He spoke of the ogre war, when his entire life went to hell, and of his running. He spoke of the wife who left him and the desperation felt for his son's safety. A desperation that led to the death of seven people and a broken deal. He told her of everything he did before her and everything he had done after her. The murder of Cinderella's fairy godmother, the deception he'd played for both the Charming couple and the wicked queen and his deals for the last twenty-eight years, ending with her father's beating.

After he had finished, Belle stood up and walked carefully up to her room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"_She's going to leave,"_ A voice sounded in his head. It was logical, of course, that she would find out one day; he'd just prayed she never did. He assumed that if and when she found out about his abuse of her father, that she would have yelled, thrown her bravery in his face- not that she would close him out.

The night resulted in a cold dinner of leftover chicken and balancing his books (a habit that replaced his spinning years ago and had almost the same effect). When night had fallen and the clock had rung twelve times, Rum turned in to his bedroom, without, for the first time in five months, bidding his love goodnight.

The following days held nothing but loneliness, avoiding her love, waking before him and locking herself in her room at night before he got home. Her heart broke for this man, who she knew nothing of. A murderer. That was who she fell in love with. How could she have fallen for someone so evil? Her thoughts raged on as she worked quietly in the library.

"Hey, Ms. French."

Belle glanced up to see the bright boyhood smile of Henry Mills.

"Hello, Henry," she smiled up at the boy from her spot on the ground in front of the encyclopedia shelf. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wanting to look up some stuff for Operation Cobra. Do you have anything about true love?"

Belle glanced at the shelves in front of her before pulling out the 'L' copy of the set. She flipped through it casually before addressing the boy again.

"Is that the key to Operation Cobra?" she asked, trying not to seem too pleased to have someone know about the curse, especially since her knowledge of it hadn't been revealed to Regina yet.

"Kinda. I know that Emma has to beat it, but I'm trying to think of a way to save the evil queen."

"Who is?" Belle asked, feigning ignorance

"My mom."

Belle stared at the boy for a moment before clearing her throat and handing the book to him.

"You want to save the evil queen?" she asked genuinely confused. "Why?"

"Because I love my mom, even if she's weird sometimes."

"But she- that is, the evil queen… She's a murderer."

Not looking away from his book, he said, "People make mistakes; it doesn't mean you quit loving them."

_**TO BE CONTINUED IN OCTOBER**_


	5. October

AN: Guys you are so awesome! Thank you for the encouragement. I know I had to entice you, but I received 18 reviews for the last chapter, which doubled my review quota for this story. I am now at 28 reviews which is more than I have ever had in all my previous stories combined. Thank you again! Due to my quick update, it will be probably mid May before the final chapter of my story (not counting my tentative epilogue). Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT.

Beta Shout Out: Thank you OldRomanticem for being the most awesome beta in the world! You are amazing.

October

"_People make mistakes; it doesn't mean you quit loving them."_

Henry's words rang in her ears the rest of the day as Belle went about her business in the library. They still rang in her mind as she locked up well after the sun had begun to sink beyond the horizon.

She took the long way home, walking though the town square past Granny's, the pawn shop, and the Sheriff's department. It was well into the night before Belle headed toward her home, silently walking up the porch stairs and pulling her keys out of her jacket. She snuck into the door, laying her keys quietly on the table in the foyer.

The large house loomed ahead of her, the halls dark and the rooms silent. Glancing up at the grand ornamental clock, she was shocked to see that it was already nearing nine. Forgoing dinner, Belle quietly headed up the staircase, looking for signs of life. A light glowed below a forbidden door, and rustling could be heard behind the barrier.

She stopped in front of his room, a place she had never been before tonight, and hesitated for only a moment before bringing her hand to the door.

A light knock disturbed Rumpelstiltskin's reading, although, truth be told, it was less reading and more filling in the empty time that seemed to surround him lately. He stared at the door in disbelief, having been fully ignored for the past week.

"Come in."

The heavy wooden door creaked open, as she peeked around it, hesitating in the doorway. He waved a hand at her, beckoning her toward him. Belle left her post by the door, pushing it closed behind her, and crossed the room to the four-post bed against the far wall. He sat up, leaning against the headboard, his bad leg propped up on a pillow in front of him and a book in his lap.

Avoiding moving his leg too much, Belle cautiously sat at the edge of his bed, glancing around his room. It was sparse in comparison to the rest of the house, which seemed covered with randomized objects, but his room had only a wardrobe, bed and nightstand. In the corner stood a familiar wooden spinning wheel. Her eyes fixated on it, remembering their time spent in the dark castle together as he spun countless bits of straw into gold.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, meeting his eyes finally and grabbing onto his hands, relishing in the feel of his skin against her own.

"Don't apologize."

He held onto her hands as tightly as he dared, thanking the gods that, for some unforeseen reason, she had not run away. He'd already lived through that nightmare once, and in this life he would be damned if he'd let her go again.

"I should have told you about your father," he said. "It won't happen agai-."

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted him before he made promises that she knew that he would be hard pressed to keep. "I don't care about what you've done. That doesn't mean that I approve of it, but I love you."

She placed a finger of his mouth as he tried to interrupt her yet again.

"I love you, more than anything," she moved towards him, laying beside him before taking his hands in hers once more. "Marry me."

Gold stared at her, his jaw dropping slightly as he grasped her hand tighter.

"Love," he stopped, sat up, trying to regain his composure before continuing. "Love, did you just propose to me?"

" I told you I would go with you forever," she release his hands to capture his face, her hands running though his grey-highlighted hair and wrapping around to hold the base of his neck.

"I love you, Rumpelstiltskin." Gold continued to stare at her, confusion written on his face as his mind raced.

"You want to marry me," he muttered, shaking his head. "Why?"

A smile flitted across her face, and her eyes softened as she observed the love of her life.

"Because I love you, and I want to prove it. I want to let everyone know," she whispered.

"But, women don't like to be married to cowards." Gold's face grew grim, and Belle saw him. She saw the same man who spoke of his son and asked her why she returned to him. This wasn't the Dark One Rumpelstiltskin, whose name couldn't be whispered for fear of his wrath, or even Mr. Gold, the tactical, no-nonsense business man, who would not hesitate to put a family on the streets. This was Rumpelstiltskin, the man, the sheep-herder who held his tiny boy to him when his mother left, who gave alms to the poor, even though he himself lived on next to nothing. This was the man who dressed in rags and prayed every night that protection would come to his small son.

Tears welled in Belle's eyes as she tried to pull him as close to her as possible, resting her head against his shoulder.

"You are not a coward," she said. "And I don't believe you ever were."

"My power makes me a monst-"

"Your power is nothing; it doesn't matter," her tears now ran freely down her face as she tried to convince him of her love. "Please, please let me love you. Please don't throw me out again."

To hear her cry for acceptance, his acceptance, it broke his heart. That she thought that he would ever let her leave again, ever let her get away after the torment he had endured, having thought she was lost forever baffled him.

"I can't be the man you deserve, but I will try," Gold said, wiping away the tear trails from her beautiful face. "If you'll have me, that is."

Despite the severity of the conversation that had been had, the fact that there was a very serious question to answer and the uncertainty of their future, Belle laughed.

The image of him in much more fitting clothing, offering a red flower to her appeared, and all thoughts of disagreement fled from her.

He looked up questioningly at her mirth, a hint of hurt in his eyes.

"My love, I will very much have you." She grinned at him, the traces of tears slowly leaving her face as she brought her lips to his.

"So… any chance you have a ring for me," Gold mumbled against her lips. She smiled slightly before shaking her head.

"No matter," he turned over to the nightstand beside his bed, reached into the drawer, and pulled out a small velvet box. "I suppose you will just have to wear one instead."


	6. Update On Blue and Gold

Hey guys. I am back to the technological advanced world. I took a hiatus because of my wonderful brother-in-law dropped my computer on the concrete; I have been using my mother's for school work and unable to update my stories. There's just so much you can do with a tablet…. Anyways, I really need a beta because I have lost touch with my previous one, and based on her update status, I think she may be too busy to look at my stories. I am going to finish this story by Valentine 's Day (busy schedule) with the final chapter, and an epilogue. Then I will be beginning my newest project, which will have nothing to do with OUaT (shock surprise) but actually something that I've been thinking about for a while. Anyways thanks for your patience and your loyalty to this story. Please if you want to help beta wise let me know asap!


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